I haven't been to PF Changs often, but everything I've ever had there has been delicious. Plus I really love - and miss! - Mongolian beef. Making it at home means I can make it gluten free, although you don't have to. And then, of course, there's my continuing quest for good Chinese food at home. I'm excited for this one!

INGREDIENTS

1-2 pounds beef like flank, cut into strips (I used flat iron steak)

for the marinade

½ teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon sugar

1 tablespoon corn starch

1 tablespoon soy sauce (I used Tamari)

1 teaspoon rice vinegar

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

for the sauce

4 teaspoons vegetable oil

1½ teaspoons ground ginger

2 tablespoons minced garlic

1 cup soy sauce

1 cup water

1⅔ cup brown sugar

3 tablespoons cold water + 1½ tablespoons corn starch

Optional: sliced green onions, sesame seeds, rice

Slice the beef. Put in a large ziplock bag or in a bowl. Mix the marinade ingredients in a small bowl and pour over the meat. Cover/zip, mix, and refrigerate at least 1 hour and up to overnight.

The baking soda in the marinade made an exciting fizz moment!

For the sauce, combine all the ingredients except the water+cornstarch in a small saucepan. NOTE: this makes a LOT of sauce - I'd at least halve it or even more. Bring to a boil. Reduce to med-low. Mix the water+cornstarch in a small bowl and pour into the sauce. Stir until thickened slightly. Remove from heat.

This recipe doesn't call for onions in the main dish, just as a garnish. But the best thing about Mongolian beef is all the yellow onions and scallions in it, so I cut some up. Thin slices of onion and scallions are the way to go!

Heat a little oil in a large skillet on high heat. When it's hot add the beef. I added the yellow onions at this stage. Let cook a few minutes, stirring occasionally, and add the green onions. When the beef is cooked to desired doneness, add in the sauce. Don't pour it all in - adjust per your tastes for saucy or not too saucy.

Serve over rice. Sprinkle with sesame seeds if desired.

RP Servings: 3-4 for 1 lb of meat

RATING: 4 1/2 stars

I'm so happy with this! This is definitely the best homemade Chinese food I've made to date. My husband LOVED IT. He said, "It's a SOLID 4 1/2!!" And he had seconds, which he normally doesn't do since we've been doing 21 Day Fix.

I did tweak it a bit, but not too much. I had already reduced the brown sugar -- when I halved it, I inky used 2/3 c. It was still a bit sweet after I added the cornstarch, so I put in another 1/4c or so of soy/Tamari. I also added 1 more tbsp of cornstarch so that it would thicken more. You can do that to taste. Next time I'd add more onions, too - they were perfect!

Ah, the quest for gluten free Chinese food. You don't have to make this gluten free, of course, but the cool thing about this recipe is that you make your own teriyaki sauce rather than buying it in a bottle. I always like to make things if I can (ok, I'm buying Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ Sauce forever and ever, but still...). The great thing about any stir fry recipe is that you can adapt the meat and veggies to suit what you have on hand, once you have the basics down.

INGREDIENTS

2-3 lbs organic chicken breast, chopped

12-16 oz organic fresh broccoli

2 garlic cloves

4-5 large organic carrots, sliced

Pepper flakes, optional

2 Tbsp olive oil

Teriyaki sauce

2 Tbsp ginger, chopped

1/3 cup reduced sodium soy sauce (tamari for gluten free)

1/3 cup cold water

3-4 teaspoons arrowroot powder, or cornstarch

1/4 cup honey, or unrefined sugar

NOTE: I added yellow squash because I had some that needed to be eaten. I reduced the broccoli and carrots so I had about the same volume of vegetables. ALSO, after the whole "making my own gluten free teriyaki" thing, I discovered that I was out of Tamari. So. I made 2/3 of this for my husband using this recipe, and just stir fried my own. Which was dang disappointing! The review is based on his assessment.

The recipe says to mix the sauce ingredients in a bowl of you are using right away, and to only cook it if you're keeping it for later use. But mine had a sticky ball of honey in the bottom, so I went ahead and cooked it. I used 3 1/2 tsp of cornstarch and it was a bit thicker than I'd like ideally.Mix the sauce ingredients in a small pot and cook on low to med-low, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens. Set aside or refrigerate for later use. (NOTE: I'd probably add my red pepper flakes to the sauce next time, rather than separately to the pan.)For the chicken, I used this method from the General Tso's Chicken recipe couple of weeks ago, because the breast pieces come out tender and juicy. You don't have to, though - feel free to cook them in the same pan.

I cooked my vegetables differently (well, the meat, too...) because she used a combination of the pan and microwave and that seems unnecessary! I guess I was feeling ornery...

IF COOKING CHICKEN SEPARATELY: Heat the garlic in oil until fragrant, 30 sec or so, and add the carrots. Stir fry a couple of minutes. Add the broccoli. Stir fry until just tender.

IF COOKING THE CHICKEN IN THE PAN: Heat the garlic in oil until fragrant, about 30 sec, and add the chicken. Cook 2-3 min and add the carrots. Cook 2-3 min and add the broccoli.

With stir fry, add the vegetables in succession: the ones that take longest to the ones that take shortest, or else you'll have some really mushy vegetables. I added the squash and only cooked them about 2 min before adding the chicken.

Add the chicken (if cooked separately), red pepper flakes, and sauce and cook til heated through. Serve over rice.RP Servings: 3-4 with rice21 Day Fix a serving is 1 red of chicken, 1-2 greens of veggies, 1 yellow if using rice, and about 1/4 purple for the sauce. RATING: 3 1/2 starsWhile I couldn't taste the sauce, my husband said it was 3 1/2 stars, and 4 for being 21 Day Fix friendly. I think it could do with a bit more sauce, so I'd probably double it next time and use about 1 1/2 of the total, storing the rest for later use.

Mix in any kind of veggies you want: onions, mushrooms, zucchini, cauliflower would all be good. You can also mix up your meat, or use tofu.

I have gotten General Tso's chicken exactly once, at a great upper scale Chinese restaurant in our old city. It was delicious but so so unhealthy: pieces of chicken fried in oil and sauces up with a delicious but oil heavy brown sauce. I saw this recipe on Pinterest and didn't find out until I went to cook it that it's actually a recipe from BeachBody.com. I'm hoping that it's not just healthy but also tasty!

NOTE: I didn't have hoisin so made a substitute from this recipe, minus the yeast extract, which I didn't have.

I doubled the recipe.

Preheat the oven to 375. Toss the chicken, cornstarch and salt. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper (or foil) and spread the chicken out in a single layer. Bake for 10-12 minutes.

This is ONE garlic clove! I counted it as 4. I just had to show you...

Heat the oil, garlic and ginger over medium heat for 1-2 min. Add all the ingredients until cold water in the list. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Cook 4-5 min.

Mix your remaining teaspoon of cornstarch in the cold water. Stir into the hot sauce until combined. Heat until thickened.

Mix the chicken into the sauce and stir until coated. Serve over cabbage or rice. Top with sesame seeds, green onion, and chilies if using.

RP Servings: 2-3, or 4 if counting for 21 Day Fix

21 Day Fix is 1 red, 1/2 blue/orange, and 1 yellow if serving with riceRATING: 3, barely I gave this a 2 1/2, but my husband and son said 3. (Let's put it this way -- I doubled the recipe for leftovers, but washed the sauce off the chicken and rebaked it for 10 min before putting it away...) If you had a bite with green onion it was *marginally* a 3. Without I was generous at 2 1/2, in my humble opinion. I was really bummed, honestly. It's not HARD, but it's a lot of ingredients to use to not like it.While I did have to sub the hoisin, the homemade hoisin sauce was tasty and there isn't that much hoisin in it to begin with. The main issue is the tomato paste - there is at least two times more than there should be. It's very tomato-y but not in a good way, like lasagne or pizza or a nice bolognese sauce. It's tomato-y in a "why the heck is there tomato in my Chinese food" kind of way. (Do you remember the recipe that tried to put ketchup on the ginger dressing?? Yeah... We don't put ketchup in Asian food, people!)On the good side, this is a REALLY great way to cook chicken breast! It was juicy and moist - even after I rinsed the sauce off and rebaked it.

Besides making things in mugs, we are also always on a quest for good gluten free Asian food. Tamari and rice noodles make this recipe totally doable for the gluten free home cook, and the rest of you can hit the suace - soy sauce, that is! My son is over for dinner so we'll have an extra judge for this Pinterest creation - let the chopping begin! A'la'cuisine! (Or whatever the Chairman says on Iron Chef!)

This has a lot of ingredients, but don't worry - it's easy and you don't have to buy anything weird!INGREDIENTS

NOTE: I used about 12 oz of beef rather than 4, because we all love our protein. I tripled the marinade but left the other sauce ingredient amounts the same. You could easily make this with chicken, shrimp, or tofu, or even vegetarian.

Thinly slice the beef against the grain.

Mix the soy (Tamari), cornstarch and oil in a small bowl. Pour over the beef and mix to coat. Set aside. This gives (apparently) the beef its flavor and shiny appearance.

I used rice noodles. For a stir fry recipe, follow the box directions. (It will have different preparation methods for stir fry, salad, or as a pasta.) Whatever noodles you use, prepare and drain.

I use paper plates when I make anything with a lot of ingredients that go into the pan at different times. I put the green parts of the scallion and the snow peas on one since they'll go in later together.

The other julienned veggies are on a plate, and I have the canned bamboo shoots drained and ready.

Heat your wok or large skillet on high, then add oil. Add the beef and quickly seat. I didn't let it cook completely, as it will go back in and I don't want it tough. Remove and set aside.

Add the garlic and stir a bit, then the veggies on the big plate plus the bamboo shoots. Stir fry about 1 min.

Add the drained noodles...

Then the beef, and stir. Pour the wine/mirin around the perimeter of the pan. Add the snow peas and scallions and stir about 30 seconds, making sure to scrape the bottom of the pan. Cover and cook 1 min.

Add the soy/Tamari, dark soy (if using), sesame oil, sugar, salt, and mung beans (which I forgot to put in!). Stir about a minute, until mixed and the liquid has evaporated.

Serve! You can add siracha or more soy if desired. (I didn't use either, my husband put a little more soy, and my son used siracha.)

RP Servings: 4-5

RATING: 3 1/2 stars

It's pretty darn good! Let's put it this way, we ate it ALL. I think no one said 4 just because it doesn't taste like "real" from a good Chinese restaurant beef Lo Mein, but the empty pan told the tale. I will definitely make it again - and remember the bean sprouts! It's easily adaptable to the protein and veggies you prefer.

This is "amazing, restaurant-style, easy" fried rice, according to both Pinterest and the attached blog post with the recipe. I used to make fried rice sometimes, but I've NEVER figured out how to make it taste like a Chinese restaurant's. And now that I'm gluten free, I can't order it from a Chinese restaurant... so - fingers crossed!

Ingredients:

3 Tbsp. butter, divided

2 eggs, whisked

2 medium carrots, peeled and diced

1 small white onion, diced

1/2 cup frozen peas

3 cloves garlic, minced

salt and pepper

4 cups cooked and chilled rice

3 green onions, thinly sliced

3-4 Tbsp. soy sauce, or more to taste (I used tamari so it's gluten free)

2 tsp. oyster sauce (optional - I didn't use as it has gluten)

1/2 tsp. toasted sesame oil

NOTE: Make sure your veggies are all diced to the same size so that they cook evenly. Also, I added some garden snow peas I had frozen from last summer, cabbage, and diced chicken.

Melt 1/2 tbsp butter in a big pan and add your harder veggies. Because I had carrots and cabbage, that take a little longer to cook than onions, garlic and snow peas, I cooked those 2 for about 3 minutes before adding the rest. Add salt and pepper.

Cook a total of 5-6 minutes, until the carrots and onions are getting tender. Add the remaining 2 tbsp of butter and stir until melted. Turn to high. Add in the rice, egg, other protein if using, soy/tamari, oyster sauce if using, and green onions. Chilled rice takes a bit of prodding to un-clump, and I made a bit of a mess around my pan. Just keep at it!

Adjust the soy/tamari if desired. Let it cook a few minutes, then stir to get the browned "fried" bits. Add the sesame and stir to combine. Serve!

RP Servings: About 6RATING: 3 1/2 starsWhat this is NOT is "restaurant-style". What it IS is fast and easy, and pretty tasty. My husband added some more soy ("real" soy, as he calls it), but it was fine for me. He had some chicken with it; for me it was enough protein. If you have some leftover rice, use the seasonings indicated and add whatever veggies and protein you have on hand for a quick, cheap, easy dinner.

You do want to use a BIG pan or do a smaller batch(es) because otherwise you'll just steam it and not get that "fried" drier taste. I don't know if I'd use a wok, because you wouldn't get so much of the browned bits.

Author

Jennings & Ryan are mother/daughter, and love to cook. And look at Pinterest. So we thought...Why not? At least one Pinterest recipe, with photos and a review, every day for a year. What could go wrong?